How to build a youth national service program that actually works

It’s that time of year — lights in the trees, music in the air and, in Ottawa, the usual eerie seasonal silence as the city empties out for the holidays.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is one of those ‘Christmas babies’ who grew up sharing his birthday with one of the most significant events in the Christian calendar. Thinking about that got us thinking about Trudeau’s age — 44 on December 25 — and how his relative youth might be less of the liability his rivals claimed it was during the election campaign, and more of an active asset.

As Trudeau was sworn in as Canada’s 23rd prime minister, he also took on the title of minister of “youth” — signalling his intention to make good on a range of youth-focused policies in the Liberal platform. One key promise is to “invest $25 million annually in a restored Youth Service Program that would give young Canadians valuable work and life experience, and provide communities with the help required for much-needed projects.”

A pan-Canadian youth service is not a new idea. Canada World Youth and Katimavik — both founded by the late Senator Jacques Hébert — are perhaps the best-known Canadian models. In the 1960s, the Company of Young Canadians was inspired by the U.S. Peace Corps. In the 1970s, Nobel Peace Laureate and Prime Minister ‎Lester B. Pearson chaired the Canadian Committee establishing North America’s first United World College — one with a cutting-edge approach to education that focuses on student service in combination with academic excellence, experiential learning and inter-cultural exchange.

In Paul Martin’s October 2004 throne speech, he introduced the short-lived Canada Corps; a key element of the proposal was the idea of helping “young Canadians bring their enthusiasm and energy to the world.” The Canada Corps failed to fully get off the ground because it lacked focus and tried to cater to too many groups without securing solid buy-in from the organizations that recruit and train Canadians for such service.

The program can’t just be a gap year for the well-to-do. The program must be designed to address the needs of a generation of youth who are likely to be financially worse off than their parents.

Given his experience and Canada’s history in this area, Prime Minister Trudeau has a unique opportunity to build on lessons-learned to mobilize a new generation in the work of making Canada better.

In the U.S., the Aspen Institute’s Franklin Project “envisions a future in which a year of full-time national service is a cultural expectation, a common opportunity, and a civic rite of passage for every young American.” If there is a key lesson to be learned from past youth service programs in Canada, it might be that these programs created neither a cultural expectation of service nor a civic rite of passage — let alone a common opportunity. Trudeau would be wise to ensure his youth service seeks to achieve all three of these goals.

Now is the time for a truly national service program that inspires Canadian youth from all socio-economic backgrounds, from every corner of the country, to undertake a service year following secondary school before going on to pursue a vocation or university.

An effective program would be underpinned by two key principles. First, the program needs to be flexible and able to adapt to different circumstances. For those young people who — for economic, family or other reasons — could not serve in other parts of the country or the world, or who could not commit to a full “gap” year, opportunities could be created alongside ongoing commitments at home, school or work.

Second, the service itself must be meaningful and mutually beneficial for all parties involved — for the young person undertaking it, gaining valuable skills, knowledge and experience, and for the organization or community served.

For his Youth Service Program to flourish, Trudeau will need to ensure that it is not only purposeful and bold, but that it is strongly linked to his government’s key priorities. It must be seen in the context of other key Canadian concerns, such as the well-being of the middle class. The program can’t just be a gap year for the well-to-do. The program must be designed to address the needs of a generation of youth who are likely to be financially worse off than their parents.

A Youth Service Program also must support the government’s innovation agenda by tapping into the role young people have to play as innovators. Research tells us that young people are uniquely positioned to innovate. A Youth Service Program should treat young people as a cohort who have something valuable to contribute, and view their age as an asset, not a liability. It should not simply use young people as ‘hired muscle’; it should find creative ways to use their brains and connect them with decision-makers to ensure they contribute towards solving the complex problems our country and communities face.

Today’s young people believe in community, service and innovation. They volunteer and care passionately about the problems of our country and our planet. They bring fresh approaches to tough issues like climate change and renewable energy, the promotion of peace and social justice, economic prosperity and national security. But they don’t see government as a partner in their endeavors; indeed, they see it as something to work around. A Youth Service Program must not only employ the time and talents of young Canadians, it should also encourage them to view government as a capable partner.

We are long overdue for a government that draws on the vitality of our country’s youth. It’s time for Canada to consider this time-tested truism: If you ask nothing of young people, nothing is precisely what you get — but if you demand great things, they’ll achieve far more than you (and perhaps they) thought possible.

As we wish Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a happy birthday, perhaps we can ask for a gift from him. In 2016, let’s ask him to use his age and energy to challenge the next generation to contribute to their communities, their country and their world. That’s a gift that keeps on giving — for all generations.

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